


The Eyes of Extinction

by Lothiriel84



Series: Madness & Extinction [3]
Category: The Bunker (Podcast)
Genre: Backstory, Canon-Typical Violence, Explicit Language, Gen, I Don't Even Know, Medical Inaccuracies, Panic Attacks, Post-Apocalypse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-17
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2020-03-06 21:57:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18859903
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lothiriel84/pseuds/Lothiriel84
Summary: Will I blend into the water or surrender and be truly, truly gone in annihilation's splendor?





	The Eyes of Extinction

After a while, decades started blurring into one another – sheltered underground, the remains of the Old World but a faint, distorted echo through five feet thick concrete walls.

Eventually, the two other surviving bunker dwellers started seeing reason, and with varied degrees of reluctance, relinquished control to the one remaining sensible individual. They simply couldn’t let this pathetic mockery of a Brave New World erase centuries of civilised society; you didn’t get to shake off the ‘shackles’ of the system (as Tom liked to put it) just because everything had fallen apart and the world as they once knew it was in shambles, and as far as he was concerned, that was all there was to say about it.

(He had never raised his hand against another human being before, but all in all it had proved to be a surprisingly effective deterrent, and if that was what it took to keep his recalcitrant companions in line, then he wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.)

 _This isn’t the man I knew and loved_ , a quiet voice whispered at the back of his mind.

 _Well, I never asked for the world to end_ , he shrugged irritably, clunking his favourite mug into the sink. _Besides, you’re not really here, so kindly shut your mouth._

The voice sighed and dissolved into static, and he clutched at the edge of the sink, suddenly gasping for air. Perfect, just what he needed – another panic attack, and in the common room where anyone could walk in on him, too.

Thank Coke neither Dave nor Tom appeared to be around, so he blindly groped for the nearest wall, and slowly inched his way towards the safety of his room.

( _One day we’ll all be six feet under, and this torment will be over_ , he reminded himself even as he broke out in a cold sweat, the tightness in his chest only adding to the sudden dizziness and the way his hands shook as he felt his way along the corridor.)

He barely managed to stumble in and shut the door, before crumpling into a heap on the floor.

(Concrete – hard, solid, _real_. Good. Breath in, breath out – Death playing with him like a cat with a scared little mouse, without any real intention of putting him out of his misery anytime soon.)

Outside, somewhere above their heads, the world was still turning – ruined skyscrapers and nuclear fallout, and further afield, cold empty space punctuated with indifferent stars. Time stretched on, every tick of the clock like scorching needles in his brain, until the fog clouding his mind lifted a little, his eyes instinctively coming into focus on the faded Happiness Inc. poster hanging right over his bed – the huge smiley face staring disparagingly at him, a mocking reminder of every single one of his failures.

 _(Well, fuck you, too_ , he thought to himself, running a trembling hand across his face. _I’ve been nothing but a good employee, and look where that got us all._ )

The tapping on the door took a long time to register with him, until a somewhat hesitant voice made itself heard above all the noise and the screaming in his head.

“David? It’s time for tea and biscuits, mate – if you feel like joining us?”

Still lying on the floor, the cold already starting to seep through his clothes and into his bones, he forced enough air into his lungs to speak.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” he rattled off, ignoring how weak his voice sounded to his own ears.

He counted each of Tom’s footsteps as they receded down the corridor, then slowly, painfully, willed himself to scramble to his feet. 


End file.
